Win10 activated without a product key and no UEFI?

[mikeymikec]

Odd situation here - a customer with a Win7 computer build of mine, then later he upgraded it to Win10 via the free upgrade option. Recently, the disk has started acting funny and we've decided to replace it.

When installing Win10, I didn't have the product key handy (I had it in a text file on the iffy disk, the customer has a backup too), so I skipped the step requiring a product key. Once Win10 was installed, Windows is already saying it has been activated.

When I've tried to then enter the product key, Windows won't accept it - this may be temporary as Windows needed a restart after some updates, but still, all a bit odd.

 

[TheELF]

Did you log in to windows with his outlook acount?

 

[VX - Nerve Agent]

It auto activates , once you have already been on 10 as long as the hardware is the same.

Also can be activated if it doesn't by using a Microsoft Account.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Seems... working as designed?

Win10, once activated on a particular motherboard with a "digital entitlement / license", will re-activate on same hardware after a clean install. Just install it, don't put in a key, and then when it connects to the internet, it should re-activate no problem.

 

[mikeymikec]

Did you log in to windows with his outlook acount?

No MS account.

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Replying to other two comments - are you sure you're not thinking about UEFI machines that have the installation keys stored in the BIOS? I had a laptop not so long ago that shipped with Win7, and just like this computer it wanted a product key entering during Win10 setup on a clean install.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Replying to other two comments - are you sure you're not thinking about UEFI machines that have the installation keys stored in the BIOS?

I'm certain. Once you install Win10 and activate it, it's good for "the life of the hardware". Just re-install (clean) Win10 onto the same hardware, skip entering a product key, and go online, and it should "recognize" the hardware, and re-activate automagically for you.

Yes, I've tested this.

 

[VX - Nerve Agent]

It will Auto activate almost every time as long as you have been on Windows 10 , it stores a Hardware Profile , scans then activates. You can also tie it to a Microsoft Account if you want too , and can be activated this way in the future.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I thought this was all common knowledge. some of you confirm what I'd always believed, but one or two seemed vague and unsure about it.

When I set up all the house systems as dual-boot, I put the USB thumb drive with the Win installation media in the old Win 7 vinyl disk boxes, assuming I'd always need to reinstall.

But I have one left to reinstall after something borked my 2700K in October as a result of Win and KIS updates. I had wiped out the Win 10 on that one in a sort of over-reactive panic. I might have been more careful if I'd been using 10 more and 7 less, but quite the opposite.

 

[nerp]

It's normal. Even without a UEFI BIOS, it will generate a snapshot of the hardware and send it to MS. That's how it auto-activated.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Nothing abnormal about it and personally I love the feature.